SEARCH reports on findings in Mitchell County
Rachel Hoskins - rhoskins@thefranklinpress.com
BAKERSVILLE – From availability of health care for expecting moms to children living in poverty to seniors struggling with transportation needs and food insecurity, Sustaining Essential And Rural Community Healthcare (SEARCH) WNC, is looking for issues hampering Mitchell and Yancey county residents when it comes to the availability and access to health care. But they are also looking for solutions.
SEARCH is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that grew out of a community action group founded in the summer of 2017 in response to the announcement that labor and delivery services would be closing at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital (BRRH) in Spruce Pine.
Since 2017, SEARCH has tackled a variety of issues facing the communities they serve; including the future of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital – a part of Mission Health based in Asheville – once labor and delivery closed in September 2017, to the purchase of Mission Health by HCA Healthcare in 2018, one of the largest for-profit hospital systems in the United States. Since that time, they have collaborated with other community groups across the 18 counties served by Mission Health System to ensure that the needs of smaller rural hospitals are met.
The mission of SEARCH is to foster and defend the health and healthcare needs of citizens in Mitchell and Yancey counties with key goals to educate themselves and the community on problems with the health care system and to explore ways to improve the system while advocating for changes and improvements.
On Wednesday, Oct. 25, members of SEARCH met with providers and community organization leaders in Bakersville to discuss a needs assessment survey conducted to understand access to care in the two counties.
SEARCH Board Chair Dr. Tom Kaluzynski, a retired physician who practiced in a primary care setting in Burnsville and Spruce Pine while serving on the medical staff at the Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine from 1985 to 2006, said there are a lot of factors affecting health care in the area: accessibility and affordability in the areas of primary care, emergency services and labor and delivery.
Kaluzynski said SEARCH WNC wanted to share findings from their needs assessment in hopes of building support for services at the county level.
A key issue affecting women and children in Mitchell and Yancey counties is the lack of OB/GYN providers and the lack of labor and delivery services.
“With no full-time OB/GYN providers in either Mitchell or Yancey counties, women have to travel out of the area to give birth at a hospital,” said Kaluzynski. “That is coupled with the lack of access to a licensed pediatrician or pediatric-specific practice, or in-patient hospital services for children.”
Blue Ridge Community Hospital does not provide in-patient pediatric care, according to Kaluzynski, a fact seconded by Mitchell 911 director Stephanie Wiseman.
“Patients under the age of 18 have to be transported elsewhere for admission to the hospital,” said Wiseman. “This also takes ambulances out of the area.”
The result is much of the care needed by children under 18 years of age is being delivered in the Emergency Department. Mission My Care Now and Mercy Urgent Care treat walk-in patients for non-life-threatening issues, but this does not provide continuity of care.
The lack of pediatric care, coupled with the lack of mental health providers in the counties, leaves the youth population vulnerable, said Kaluzynski.
In 2020, 14 percent of children in Mitchell County and 22% of children in Yancey County lived in poverty.
All this equates to a lack of preventive care and coverage for services, according to the needs assessment survey. Lack of eyeglasses, hearing devices, and over the county medications not covered by Medicaid, all hinder youth, and their ability to learn.
Transportation impacts
In 2021-2020 Mitchell County Transportation Authority provided 853,918 passenger miles to riders for health-related trips. 78% of those passenger miles ended out of Mitchell County.
Kaluzynski said of that total more than 368,000 of those miles involved senior citizens, age 60+, and transportation for medical appointments.
Yancey County provided significantly less miles at 60,578 for health-related trips.
“The difference could be due to a number of issues, proximity to health care providers and Asheville, and a neighbors-helping-neighbors program that assists with transportation,” said Kaluzynski.
Wiseman added that the need for medical transportation outside the county also impacts the availability of ambulance services in the county.
Programs and services available
While there continues to be challenges to Mitchell and Yancey counties when it comes to health care needs, there are programs and services that continue to help meet these challenges including:
• Blue Ridge Community Hospital, a centrally located 25-bed crucial access hospital
• A federally qualified health care clinic with locations in each county
• Several agencies dedicated to the health and well-being of children
• A number of providers in private practice
• A hospital and palliative care agency
• Ambulance and Emergency Medical Services
•A senior center
• Public health departments
• A robust transportation system
• A mental health service agency
• Nursing homes and adult care centers
• Physical therapy, rehabilitation, and wellness centers.
Kaluzynski said there is still work to do to understand the needs and the areas where services were lacking in health care.
“We want to advocate to the counties to help meet needs where services are lacking,” said Kaluzynski. He said its also important to keep the lines of communication open with all health care providers in the area.
Listening to stories, understanding the day-to-day challenges, and working with providers and community leaders is the key to moving the accessibility and availability health care forward.
If you would like to hear about future SEARCH community meetings or share your story, email searchwnc@gmail.com.